Sing: A Slave's Story   Book 1: Water
by Miriel Randir
Summary: Sing is Zuko's servant, following her master to the ends of the earth. Is Zuko more than he appears? NOT A ZUTARA LOVE STORY! It's better!
1. Directions

This is my first fanfic ever. I absolutely LOVE Avatar: The Last Airbender, and all of the characters in it. This story will be presently in the form of a diary sort of. It goes by books and episodes. Some material may be carried over through the chapters and other chapters from TV may be excluded because they were not significant to the plot. I hope you will enjoy!!

Also, I'm working on a soundtrack. I know, exciting! I'll include notes in each chapter that has a song, and tell you when to start the track. Most of the music so far is from the Disney movie "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron."


	2. Preface

You don't know who I am. But not many people do anyhow. Hopefully, you will get to know me through this. But I am not the important one here. It is my master you know and hate, that is, if you are not of the Fire Nation. He is a prince, you know. Zuko's father is the Fire Lord Ozai, ruler of the Fire Nation. Princes should be regal, respectful and loved by all their people. I, Sing, know who he is, but hardly anybody else does. When will they find out? I sure hope it's soon.

Prince Zuko's mother took me from my family when I have very little, five or so, after her husband captured my village in the South Pole. I wish I could remember them better. I'm sure they were perfect. She needed me to mind her son; her powerful younger daughter required all of her attention. He was even a year older than me, to top it all off. In the beginning I was told three things: stay with Zuko, give him what he needs and keep him safe. How she expected me to do that at such an early age is a mystery, but I've been doing those three things for the last eleven years, in moderation.

I saw gradually, as we matured together, who he was; I felt sorry for him. Living in his sister's shadow, constantly being compared to Azula when, at the time, she was a much better bender than him. Lord Ozai ignored his still talented son while his daughter was his most prized possession. Prince Zuko trained very hard growing up; he had a trainer, as well as his legendary uncle, Iroh. Sitting in on their sessions, I wish I could have been a student of Iroh's. I knew I was a waterbender, but being ripped apart from all the people from my tribe, and any waterbenders for that matter, left me with no choice but to abandon my gift.

One day about seven years later, after begging Uncle Iro, Zuko was allowed into an important military meeting between the military leaders of the Fire Nation and Lord Ozai. I, of course, followed behind Uncle and was led into a blood red room lit only by lanterns, as is typical in the Fire Nation. Zuko and Uncle sat with the other leaders, and the discussion began. I sat next to the door, and patiently waited, not really paying much attention. I heard snippets about attacking another Earth tribe, a powerful one, and much heated debate followed. I lost interest again, until one angry voice rose about the rest. "You can't just sacrifice an entire army like that! They are people too, Firebenders, just like us. They live and die for our nation," cried an angry Zuko, shooting to his feet and glaring at the elders. I grew scared, and saw concern on Uncle's face. "Now Prince Zuko," he said, calmly, "you are out of place. Sit down and listen to your elders."

But it was too late. By speaking out against a military leader, that meant Prince Zuko would have to battle him in a fire match, Mi Kai. The conceited prince quickly prepared himself for battle, rashly thinking about the old man he had to defeat to keep his honor. But he was mistaken. By shaming the plan the man spoke of, Zuko really insulted the Fire Lord, the whole Nation as well. So it was not an old man who met him on the battle field. It was his father.

He was terrified. He begged for mercy on the rock battleground. Zuko threw himself at his father's feet. "Get up!" his father yelled. "You show cowardice. You shame me. Get up and fight like a man." Zuko did not move. Lord Ozai stepped back several paces. The only noise in the arena was the cries from Zuko's teary face. I felt scared for him and turned away. A flash filled the room, and a sickening scream filled my head.

I cared for Zuko for the next nine months outside the Fire Nation. He was banished by his own father; his only chance of returning would be if he captured the avatar, master of all elements. Ourselves, Uncle Iroh, and a crew of warriors and sailors loyal to Uncle have been living at sea ever since.

His scar is what defines him now. The left side of his face, starting at his eye, is red with scar tissue. It was frightening to look at for the first couple weeks, but I quickly learned I had to not _look_ at it, but look _past_ it and care for Zuko. He often took out his pain and anger on me. Even after he recovered, I received the grunt of his frustration. My body is littered with bruises, burns, scars. I take them in stride now, and I'm hurt more than physically by his actions. Even so, he is my Master.

Our travels are sporadic, and quick to change, depending on where the avatar appears to be. Zuko has chased him all over the world and may continue to do so until Aang, the avatar, is captured. I merely wait in the prince's room most of the time, but I follow him almost everywhere he goes, alone or with his warriors.

Uncle Iroh is very kind to me. He asked that I call him Uncle, instead of General. He makes sure I am healthy and is a huge help keeping Zuko's temper under control. Zuko shows him occasional respect, but he loves his Uncle dearly, since he is the only family he can trust anymore. Uncle is the most calm, composed, balanced man I know. I have only heard stories about him. He is called the Dragon of the West. Or rather, he was. He is old now, and it is his brother, not him who is the Fire Lord.

I will tell you my travels as clearly as possible. I don't see everything in the world, since we are the bad guys, so to speak. Firebenders are the most dangerous benders, in my opinion. Most that I've met are angry souls, and many don't have respect for their power. I've seen forests that grew tall for years burnt to the ground in a matter of minutes. It makes me sick, but I could never say that in my position. In fact, I really can't talk much at all. Especially with Zuko. The only times he speaks to me are when he orders me to do something or is mocking me. But there have been times when he is quiet, and he will open up a bit and _talk_ to me. Sometimes not expecting me to say anything, sometimes silently begging me to. That is how I know Prince Zuko.


	3. Chapter 1: Boy in the Iceberg

Why we were in the South Pole, dodging large pieces of floating ice was unclear to me. All I knew was that it was bitterly cold, and my room's windows wouldn't close. I sat on my bed, freezing, and pouted about the windows. Earlier, I asked a crewman to come in and light a fire in the small fireplace, but it barely generated any heat at all. I decided to sit on the floor in front of the fire and try to meditate, thinking that could make me forget how cold I was.

At this point in my story, I'd been at sea for two years, riding with Zuko and his crew around the world searching for the avatar. The first six months was mostly spent finding a reasonable crew and warriors whom we could trust. But everything we have done, well, everything Zuko and Uncle Iroh have done, has been in effort to find the avatar. We've been to all sorts of places, rainforests, deserts, islands, but not even a sign of the avatar. Nothing so far.

But hope was in the air today, and my intuition was proved right when a rocket rippled straight up in the air. Zuko yelled at the navigator to head directly towards it. "It's him!" he cried. "No one could do that besides the avatar! We've found him! Go faster!"

My heart jumped, and I ran to Zuko's quarters to prepare his armor and weaponry. Today he would finally confront his prey.


	4. Chapter 12: The Storm

It was surprising to see a dry deck; the sky ahead was blackened with heavy storm clouds. I could hear Uncle and Zuko arguing outside of my room about whether to continue into the storm or turn around. I didn't need to hear Zuko's answer to know we would continue. I stepped outside for some air, and to glance ahead at the menacing clouds. The head crewman was yelling at the prince, something about disrespecting the crew. _I can believe that_, I thought to myself. "You are nothing but a spoiled prince!" were the last words out of the crewman's mouth before Zuko stopped walking away. I could feel the tension in the air; anger floated around Zuko as he turned around and raised his arms to fight the sailor. Thankfully, Uncle Iroh stepped between the two and stopped them before anything could happen.

Then the rain came, suddenly, and ferociously. I jumped a bit, and ran back inside. The crew raced to their positions and tried to take hold of the ship before the worst of the storm arrived. I stayed inside, thankful for a dry blanket, and watched the sailors face the perilous sea. Conditions grew worse by the minute, and a climax was reached with a loud crack. Lightning struck the back end of the ship. I stepped outside for a moment and was horrified to see one lone sailor at the top of the ship, dangling from a rope he'd gotten tangled up in. He was alive, but seconds away from falling. Something above me caught my eye, and two men were climbing a ladder to the top of the mast, the head crewman and Prince Zuko. I screamed when the sailor fell, but with a great show of strength, Zuko grabbed the man as he fell and the both hung onto the ladder with superhuman agility. I sighed as the three men climbed down to safety.

Not a moment later, the oh-so-familiar flying bison soared through the black sky. Zuko and the crew stopped to gaze sadly at the sky. "What shall we do, Captain?" asked the head crewman. Everyone looked to the prince. He sighed and hesitated. "We must get out of this storm. To the eye of the storm!" he cried, painfully. The crew leapt back into action, but Zuko gazed once more into the sky. When he looked down, I was in his line of view. He yelled, "Sing! Get inside!" then turned and marched below deck.

After the storm was past, and the crew at ease, Zuko returned to his room, where I was waiting. I offered him dry towels, and warm bedding. After he was settled, I bowed and said to him, "You showed great bravery today, Master," and left the room.


	5. Chapter 15: Bato of the Water Tribe 1

Something dreadful boarded our ship today, nearly landed on me when he jumped aboard. A large, terrifying badger-beast, with a beautiful woman in dark leather wielding a long whip, destroyed the front tip of the ship. No one tried to stop them, everyone was too afraid! The woman, June, said her beast was tracking a convict, and sure enough, the beast paralyzed the hidden man who'd been traveling with us for who knows how long. She took her prize and without a word, leapt away into the forest.

Zuko was irate, and commanded the crew to make repairs at the nearest port while he and Uncle searched for June. He wanted payback.

They returned late that same night for me, but their mount was the beast, and June rode in front of them both. "Sing! You're coming with," Uncle yelled from the back of the saddle. Confused and exhausted, I crawled up and rode behind Uncle Iroh, and without a proper seat on the beast, it was nearly impossible to stay on. I hung onto him as hard as I could, and avoided falling off at all costs, to avoid embarrassment. The animal smelt terrible, something I couldn't describe. We wove in and out of towns, following the avatar, and Katara's path. The woman was just as savage as Zuko, and beat her animal to move faster and faster.

As we entered the forest, she cried, "There she is!" We flew out into a clearing, and Katara and Sokka were walking back towards the last village. "So this is your girlfriend," she mocked with a smirk.

"Where is the avatar?" Zuko yelled from his mount. They started to run, but the badger-beast whipped them with its long, sharp tongue, paralyzing them. I was shocked to see them fall to the ground in an instant; I knew the animal was an extremely powerful tracker, as it had already demonstrated, but I guess I should have assumed it was capable of other feats as well. Iroh strapped them in front of Zuko, behind the woman. The monster caught the avatar's scent from an article of clothing one of the travelers carried, and we were off again.

A town we had seen earlier, which I now saw to be an abbey, was where we stopped for the final time. The nuns and other inhabitants fled to the safety of their buildings, and the large stone courtyard was bare. The girl and boy were dropped to the ground, but we remained mounted, much to my displeasure. The woman cracked her whip, and the badger-beast began frantically sniffing for its quarry.

Then, out of the sky flew the avatar on his flying bison. The beast reared up on its hind legs to strike, and this time I could not help but fall off. I recovered immediately and ran to a safe distance, knowing a fight would ensue. The avatar leapt off the bison, and soared to the ground, but not before delivering a gust of wind powerful enough to knock everyone off the beast. It hissed, and waited for its rider, the woman, to mount and crack her long whip. They charged the avatar but were knocked to the ground by the bison. The woman cracked her whip twice in a row, and the beast faced the bison.

Meanwhile, Zuko had his mind set on the avatar, who knew exactly what he was thinking. Their blows were quick and vigorous, one after the other. The two benders moved all throughout the abbey, on top of buildings, across platforms; they even danced atop a well. I grew scared whenever Zuko was hit, and in my mind readied myself for the first aid he'd need later on.

I peered over to the beasts, and it wasn't looking good for the avatar's bison. He was hit several times by the whip-tongue of the badger-beast, and lay on the ground. He moaned, and I suddenly felt very sad; my heart went out to the creature, as it lay dying in pain.


	6. Chapter 15: Bato of the Water Tribe 2

I began to smell something very peculiar: lilac. Extremely powerful, then I could feel my shoes getting a bit wet. The smell of lilac was overwhelming, I could hardly breathe. I looked for the prince, and saw him up against a wall, caught there by the monster. The smell of the perfume, evidently dumped by the nuns that made it and the girl and boy, had confused the badger-beast so much it was blind. It struck, and hit Zuko directly in the chest. Twice more it struck: once almost hitting the avatar, who was quick to leap away, and another striking its rider, who fell in pain on top of Uncle Iroh. Although Uncle was not hit, he took the woman in his arms and lay on the ground with her, much to his delight and her disgust.

The terrible beast began scratching at its face, and running wildly around the abbey, until it leapt over the gates and escaped into the forest. I sighed, glad to be rid of the monster once and for all, but jumped when something humongous moved in the courtyard. The flying bison was recovering, and preparing to fly away with its three passengers. I looked at Zuko and Uncle on the ground, then back to the avatar. None of them saw me, but I watched them soar off high into the sky towards the ocean.

The air was still thick with perfume, and I coughed harshly before moving to check on Zuko and Uncle Iroh. Iroh had fallen asleep with the paralyzed woman in his arms, and Zuko lay crookedly against the yellow stone wall. One or two nuns peered out from their hideouts, and I started walking briskly towards them.

"Please, sisters, my Master is hurt. Show me to your hospital," I said as calmly and confidently as possible. The looked at me for a minute and didn't move. I sighed. "Prince Zuko is the son of the Fire Lord Ozai, and paralyzed or not, you must grant us access to your hospital and all its equipment." Their eyes grew larger as I spoke, and one led me to the infirmary while two others rushed out to the courtyard to grab Zuko.

The head nurse questioned me a bit, but all I said in return was, "Thank you, sister, but I'll take care of him myself. I'm sorry I had to be so rude back there." Once Zuko was in the hospice bed, I start analyzing his body and the damages. Not anything horrific, the whiplash from the badger-beast was the only thing that worried me.

I went about treating his various wounds, from a bleeding head wound to many minor cuts and bruises, for twenty minutes or so when he suddenly woke up. He jolted up to a sitting position and his eyes raced around the hospital. "Where am I?" he shuttered, angrily.

"You're in the abbey infirmary, Master. Now, I need to see the wound on your chest from that beast before you lie down again," I comforted him. I peeled off the rest of his armor, and swiftly unbuttoned his Fire Nation attire, and removed two shirts before I got to the skin. The wound was long, and bright red, a sign of infection. I hurriedly washed it clean as possible, and began the long process of wrapping it.

Zuko was a bit dizzy and mumbled a bit to himself as I bandaged his chest. "There, Prince Zuko, you can lie down again," I said with false cheer. I lowered him down slowly onto the soft pillows. "What else hurts that I've missed?"

Before he would answer, outside the hospital I could hear one angry voice yelling at a nun. Then the woman rider burst into the infirmary, glaring at Zuko, who had lain down. I leapt to my feet, and said, "Ma'am, you cannot see Zuko now. He is ill. You have to leave." She threw me out of her way with one swing of her arm; I'm just glad she didn't have her whip on her. She stormed over to Zuko's bed. I got up quickly and ran to his side to defend him. "Stop! You must leave!" I yelled, growing more and more defensive of my Master.

She grabbed my hair, and pulled me to my knees. "Get out of my way, filth." She tossed to the side, and I banged my head on the metal hospital bed frame. All was quiet, and her legs stood solid next to the bed while she peered at Zuko's relaxed face. Her hand moved towards his chest, seeking the infected whiplash. A cold smile riddled her beautiful face. As her hand inched closer to the prince's tired body, fire burst from the bed, and she fell to the ground five feet backwards. The woman did not move.

The attack was unexpected and it startled me terribly. I stumbled to my feet and relaxed Zuko again: "Well played, Master. You had me worried."

He chuckled, painfully, "She'll never know what hit her." He held his side, and as I looked closer I could see fresh blood coming from the whiplash.

"You tore your chest open a bit delivering that blow, Prince Zuko."  
"Dammit."

"Would you like me to stitch it up?"

"No! We must move on tonight, the avatar's beast is injured it won't travel far. We can catch them," he insisted, and started to sit up.

"Prince Zuko, you must lie down! I can make all the arrangements to be ready to leave tonight, but you have to stay here and rest. You don't realize how serious your wound is!" I adjusted the pillows around his body so he was comfortable.

Zuko shook his head in frustration, but lay back down and closed his eyes. "Everyone must be prepared to leave at nightfall," he requested.

"They will be, your honor," I promised, and left to find a nurse to talk about the treatment of the prince's odd wound.


	7. Chapter 18: The Waterbending Master 1

"Get out!" yelled Zuko as he launched a shoe at me. I ducked out of the room as quickly as I could and collapsed, sighing, outside against his door.

The fire cast shadows on General Iroh's weary face in the dark. A violinist, a man with four different sized barrels positions around him, a banjo player, and a man playing an odd wooden instrument I did not know the name of stood or sat next to Uncle. He himself sang in a deep and wonderful voice, clear and loud above all the other instruments. His song was sad, about war and dying; a Fire Nation favorite, it told tales of great slaughters and Fire Nation victories. The most of the crew was gathered around the fire, listening to the music.

After a few more minutes of the depressing music, the beat flipped completely into an exciting fast dancing song. Uncle pulled out a tambourine and began hitting it quickly against his leg. He started jumping around the fire, making the crew laugh and come to their feet to join him. I smiled slightly at Uncle's evident youthfulness. The old man caught sight of me smiling from the wall, and leapt over to me, bowing down as low as an old man can go. He extended my hand and I gladly took it, although unsure what I should do, how I should dance. Who knew the great Dragon of the West was such a great dance partner?! He guided me gently, but thrust me into the middle of the party. I could feel all the eyes of the crewmen around me, but I soon forgot about them and started having fun for the first time in years. When I grew more comfortable with the strange new dance, Uncle passed me off to other men aboard. They treated me with the same respect, and I found new confidence within myself.

When this song was over, the band changed to slower tune. I bowed to my last few partners with a smile, and then sat down on deck next to the drummer. Uncle returned to his place at the front of the fire, and began another ballad, this one faster spoken and quieter than the first. Suddenly, an unwelcome presence interrupted the song with slow, loud clapping. We all turned, annoyed, towards the source of the sound. I gasped when I saw who it was: Admiral Zhao and a small fleet of Fire Nation warriors. I ran back to Prince Zuko's quarters without being seen. Zhao continued clapping. "Well sung, General Iroh. May I join your audience?" he asked mockingly.

Zuko's room was dark, but I could see him sitting at his shrine in the back of his room. His head was bowed in prayer. I was scared to disturb him. "Prince Zuko? Master, please forgive me but you have company. Admiral Zhao is on board."

I heard him breathe in sharply, and mumble a few quiet words before rising up, putting on his royal garments quickly and heading outside. I stayed in the room to put out the candles on the altar, and to watch from the safety of his quarters. A moment later however, the three men were back in his quarters hotly discussing.


	8. Chapter 18: The Waterbending Master 2

"Prince Zuko, Admiral Zhao is taking all of the crew. Even the cook!" Uncle said, sad and defeated. The admiral grinned widely.

"What? Why? You can't do this!" Zuko yelled.

"Why not? I bought them," Zhao said coyly.

"When?"

"Just now. They quit when I offered them more money, and better treatment," he added, "I'll pay their worth to you now." Three Fire Nation guards approached the prince and laid bags of gold at his feet. "It's a shame you and your Uncle won't join us. We would make a good team, hunting the avatar."

This angered Zuko. "You will never catch the avatar before me! And we would never help you find him in a thousand years!"

The older man chuckled. "Suit yourself." Something caught his eye as he scanned the walls of the room: two broadswords. His expression changed sharply. "Prince Zuko, I never knew you were skilled with broadswords."

Zuko realized what Zhao was thinking. "No, I'm not. They're antiques, simply there for display."

"I see." Zhao was making all the connections Zuko didn't want him ever to figure out. "Are you two familiar with the Blue Spirit? Quite common appearance these days, don't you say?" he asked casually.

"I'm not sure it's even real," Uncle said honestly, who didn't know Zuko's secret.

"Oh he's real. I've seen him myself. Cost me the avatar once actually," Zhao said loudly, staring but not looking at Zuko.

"Interesting. You have what you want, now leave," ordered Zuko, pointing to the door.

"Alright, I'm going," he said, walking slowly to the door. "Good luck finding the avatar, Zuko."

Zuko was silent, glaring back. Uncle jabbed him hard in the ribs. "You too," Zuko added, painfully. The admiral smiled darkly, and left the boat with his troops and our crew. Only the three of us remained: a prince, a general and a slave.

"Oh well," Uncle sighed, "I hated that cook's food anyways."

Zuko bellowed and threw himself on his bed like a spoiled little boy who didn't get what he wanted. Uncle gave me a knowing look, and together we left the room to go sit by the fire. After a few minutes in silence, the old man began, "It is too beautiful out to be sitting, pouting, on our empty ship. Care to take a walk with me?"

"If Zuko comes, otherwise I'll just stay here," I replied.

"I guess that means no," he said sadly. "If you change your mind, I'll be heading through the town." He stood up and calmly left the ship. I added more tinder to the fire, and sat down again beside it. It was very peaceful; everyone was asleep at the docks, and the only noises around me were the crackling of the fire and the slap of the tides against the vessel. I closed my eyes, and focused on my breathing.

My meditation was interrupted by the sound of something hitting the deck in different places. I jumped to my feet, but it was too dark to see anything. I panicked and stumbled towards Zuko's door. Suddenly, a strong hard arm yanked me to the ground. I yelped, and yelled once for the prince. Before I knew it, my mouth was covered, and my hands were tied. I was being carried by a strong man, and my eyes were almost completely adapted to the dark.

I peered around; a dozen men were on deck scurrying about. Several ran below deck, one carried a torch, and two others silently carried barrels down below deck. I was confused. Then a call came out, and everyone raced off the ship, including the man who carried me. I heard a cracking and snapping as we ran away. Some men covered their ears as they sprinted away. I was confused but then I realized what was happening. I panicked and began working the rope out of my mouth that kept me silent, and struggled to free my hands. I grew more and more desperate as I realized the fate of my Master. I wiggled the rope out of my mouth, and started screaming as loud as I could for the prince. The man carrying me couldn't decide whether he should run or try to shut me up. In the disorder, I managed to twist myself out of his arms and I hit the ground hard on my side. I struggled to get up without the use of my arms, but when I did I raced back towards the ship, still yelling.

I could hear my captor pounding down behind me, but I pushed on, praying I could get there in time. Before I even reached the dock, however, an explosion went off on our ship and the whole thing burst into flames. Pieces of the ship flew off in every direction, and I could hear the man chasing me yell in pain as something struck him hard to the ground. I started crying, and ran even faster to the boat. I dashed up the loading plank and reached the top deck.

There was a huge hole in the floor where the bomb went off, and there was only one route to Zuko's room. Carefully I made my way to the prince's quarters. The door was blown off, but the rest of the room was fairly in tact, although smoke was beginning to fill the room. I coughed and started looking hastily around for Zuko. He was not there, but neither were his clothes and weaponry. _He must have escaped!_ I imagined hopefully. Before I left, I cut the bounds that held my hands together, and then I raced out to the deck. I frantically began looking for the prince, calling his name. I got the idea that perhaps he jumped overboard to avoid the flame, and I ran to the edge of the boat. I grew worried when I saw nothing but waves and burning debris.

But then I looked towards the town, and at the edge of the water, I saw one large shape pulling something out of the water. "Uncle Iroh!" I yelled.

"Sing, get off of that boat!" he yelled in reply, dragging an unconscious Zuko onto dry land.

"Men are after me! They tried to kill Zuko, you must hide!" I yelled, remembering my peril.

"Sing, we are going to the North Pole. You must get there in four days, I will find you," Uncle said slowly, making sure I understood.

"The North Pole? How?"

"Just be there!"

"I will! Is he---" I was interrupted by a bag over my head and two pairs of strong arms wrestling me into submission. They dragged me off the boat; I could feel them passing me dangerously close to large flames. I didn't know where we were going, but I could hear them talking to other men. I felt myself being lead up a wooden plank, one that led us on the deck of a new boat. It smelt terrible, of mold and algae.


	9. Chapter 18: The Waterbending Master 3

Later, I carefully wiggled open my locked door, and snuck up on deck, tip-toeing past snoring crew members. I had imagined that there would be watchman on deck, but as I got there, I saw none. _Some pirates they are_. I ran lightly to the edge of the boat, and carefully lowered the rowboat into the water, carrying myself down with it. I held my breath, but tried to hurry to avoid getting caught. Before I pushed away from the blasted ship, I peered up at its sea-beaten sides one last time.

I shivered, but the rowing kept me warm. I reached the shore easily, but now I had to find a way in. I pulled the boat out of the water, and began walking cautiously in the shadows from the almost full moon. I nearly fell in a seal hole once, and scared a harem of the seals with my small shriek.

Abruptly, I noticed foot steps ahead of me. I slowly peeked around the ridge to reveal a clearing where, moving away from me, walked the avatar. At that moment, an extremely risky plan began to formulate in my head. I went over to the seals, and began to rub my clothes over them, trying to get their scent all over me, no matter how unpleasant it was. I took a deep breath of the cold air to get my chilled, then ran out into the clearing. "Help! Avatar Aang, can you help me? I think I'm going to freeze to death!" I wailed, throwing myself at him.

He looked, confused, at me and asked, "Why are you out here? Don't you know we're in a war!?"

"Yes, I ran out of the village to try and catch a seal for my family before they came, but I fell and hurt myself," I cried, showing him my biggest bruise from Zuko, near my right shoulder. "I can't hunt with one good arm, not to mention carry anything I brought back. I tried, but I can't do it." I sniffed and began to start fake-crying. "Now my family can't eat until after the war is over," I cried. I hugged Aang tight. "Aang, will you take me back into the city? I can barely feel my arm."

The avatar sighed, and said, "Yeah, let me call Appa." He pulled out a whistle and blew in it, although no noise came out. Moments later, however, the ever-familiar flying bison landing directly beside me and the avatar. I hugged Aang, and struggled to climb up while trying to pull off a lame arm. I hung onto the edge of the giant saddle tight as Aang said, "Yip yip," and Appa was in the air soaring past the Water nation gates. _This worked out great,_ I thought gleefully. But it wasn't over yet, I still had to find Zuko and Uncle.

I thanked the avatar like an adoring fan, and headed off without a clue as to where I was headed. Aang had said everyone was in the main gathering hall, so I started walking towards the biggest ice building around. As soon as he was out of sight on the other side of the wall, I turned into a nearby house, making sure no one was home before entering. I knew it was wrong to steal, but I would surely die without something warmer on me. I took a long blue parka, brown mukluks to warm my frozen toes up, and thick elk gloves. I then headed to the kitchen, looking for some decent food. I felt bad stealing from a family in danger, but at the moment, my needs were a little more urgent.

I sat down for a moment on a mat, and closed my eyes. I finally felt safe, but I knew in my heart, I wasn't. Soon I tipped over and was fast asleep on the floor, worry-free for the time being.


	10. Chapter 19: Siege of the North

"Zuko, be careful out there. I will be right here until the battle is over," Uncle said quietly to Zuko as his nephew prepared the boat to be lowered into the water. "Zuko, listen to me!"

"I am Uncle," the young prince insisted, turning around to face his uncle.

"Keep your hood up, and don't let your guard down for a minute. You have no friends here, only enemies."

"I know, I'll keep out of sight," Zuko said, gathering up a parcel filled with more clothing and food.

His wise uncle stopped him before he entered the boat. "I don't want to lose you again. Zuko, ever since I lost my son," he stopped and looked down, "I think of you as my own."

Zuko sighed, and said quietly, "I know." The two embraced and stood quietly together for a moment before the prince hopped into the boat, and began his descent into the cold water. The general looked over the side, and whispered, "Be safe, Zuko. And remember your breath of fire; it could save your life."

"I'll see you soon, Uncle," replied Zuko.

"Sing will find you, Zuko!" Uncle yelled. Zuko looked up sharply, surprised but released his boat from the ropes that attached him to the war ship, then began paddling towards the frozen country. He hid behind floating chunks of ice, and reached the shore as quickly as possible. When he arrived, he noticed another boat of similar size to his own a hundred feet or so down the shore.

Knowing he would never pass unseen if he tried to walk through the gates, the prince started to look for another way inside the city. He started trekking away from the gates, where he came across a harem of seals, some diving into a hole at the back of an ice cliff. "They have to come up for air somewhere," Zuko said to himself. Without thinking, the prince readied himself to dive into the water, unsuspecting of its temperature. It hit him like the bomb the moment he dove in. He had trouble moving his legs at first, but the struggle for air made him press on, and starting searching for an air hole. When he found one, he kicked as hard as he could and burst his head out of the water. Gasping for air and convulsively shivering, the prince crawled up onto the ice next to some seals and curled up in a ball. He couldn't move for a minute or two, but his will to find the avatar forced him to get up and start looking for a way out of his little cave into the city. His answer was another air hole, which he dove into once more, and rushed out into the last air hole, which was inside the city finally.

Zuko fell the first time he tried to stand up, and waited to warm up a bit before trying again. He blew fire and smoke over his body, in an attempt to warm himself quickly. Walking was not easy, as he stumbled or fell every couple of steps. At one point, he dropped next to the main road and just laid there, unable to move for many minutes. Zuko could feel his body tingling, his fingers and toes were freezing away.


	11. Chapter 19: Siege of the North 2

A few hours later…

I was growing nervous about my master, so I decided to go out and find him after my nap and a snack. My best bet was to find the avatar. As I entered the main part of town, I noticed several people running, the avatar's friends, towards the flying bison. I raced towards them, and tried to catch what they were saying.

"Sokka, Zuko has Aang! I went unconscious when I hit the post, and he stole Aang right out from under me," the girl, cried.

"He can't have gone far, we'll find him, Katara" her brother said confidently, as he jumped on the bison. I hurried, thinking fast.

"Wait!" I cried.

They both turned and looked at me, not sure who I was or what the heck I was doing. I gasped for air. "I want to help. Can I come?"

"Who are you?" Sokka asked.

"I am Sing," I bowed quickly. "Avatar Aang helped me before. Now I need to pay him back. You say he's missing?"

"Get on," Katara offered. I crawled up, unsure it was safe up here. "His body was stolen. Aang is in the spirit world and that's the only way he can return, through his body. That damned Fire nation prince Zuko beat me up and stole Aang. He's been trying to kill us and kidnap Aang as long as Aang returned from the iceberg."

"What a horrible person," I said quietly. So this was how people thought of Zuko. I knew he was not liked by many, but I never realized the hostility people associated with him. "I'll keep my eyes open."

We soared above the highest peaks, where the temperature dropped even more and the winds picked up. I held on tight to the bison's saddle, and peered over the edge. Suddenly, the clouds ahead of us changed abruptly. "That's Aang! He's back!" cried Katara, obviously recognizing his airbending. Sure enough, one burst of fire followed. My heart leapt to my throat; I crawled to the front of the bison.

We landed smoothly, but to my dismay, only the avatar stood, breathing heavily. The moment we touched solid ground, I leapt from the bison and searched frantically for Zuko. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw brown in a field of white. Cloth, material from clothing lay partially buried in a mound of snow. Underneath it rested a hand. I began digging hysterically, faster and faster, not thinking about the snow falling into my boots and gloves, until I reached my master. I uncovered him completely, and turned him over onto his back.

"Sing! Get away from him! He's dangerous, that's Zuko!" cried Sokka.

I ignored him, and looked over his face. It was bright red, and littered with burns and scratches from the boat explosion. His face and hands were cold. His pain brought tears to my eyes, and I laid my head on his chest, sobbing quietly for my once strong master.

I raised myself up, and sat back, kneeling in the snow. I looked towards the avatar and his friends, who stared at me with confusion and anger. Sokka's jaw had dropped and was staring at me like I was crazy.

I sniffled and started, "Please, I lied to you, but my master needs help."

"Your _master_?" Sokka exclaimed. "Prince Zuko is your _master_?!"

I nodded. "He needs my help; I must get him back to the village."

"OK, here's a question—why would we bring the person who's been trying to kill us back into a city full of innocent people, so he can be saved? We should go, now, and just let him die like he deserves," Sokka yelled, hysterically.

I felt more tears coming, and the lump in my throat grew. I thought Katara and Aang would agree; it's not like they have any good reason to save us. But Aang said quietly, "We'll bring you both back." Sokka whirled around and Katara stared, surprised at Aang. "What? We can't just leave him- both of them- out here to die," the avatar reasoned. Sokka moaned, and I thanked them a million times while we got Zuko up on top of the bison.

I took off my parka and wrapped it around the prince tightly. Once we were in the air, I began to tell our story: "When I was little, the Queen of the Fire Nation stole me away from my parents in the South Pole. I—"

"Wait. Did you just say the South Pole?" Katara asked. I nodded. "That's where we're from! Are you a waterbender?" she asked excitedly.

"Well, I can only do a little bit. Just push and pull water lightly. I've never really lived around waterbenders; I was taken to live with the Fire Nation royal family when I was five or so. The Queen wanted someone to take care of her son, Zuko. I don't know why she thought I could do it, but I have been ever since. I go with him everywhere, and this time I'm lucky to have found him."

"Why's that?" Aang asked, interested.

"Admiral Zhao tried to kill him five days ago, blew up his ship while he was on it. But he didn't do it himself, he hired pirates to do it for him. They found me and took me off before it blew, but I screamed and Zuko heard me, giving himself enough time to get out of the direct blast. The pirates kept me, and I convinced them to take me here, while Zuko stole away on a war ship with his uncle," I explained as I wrapped the prince up in all the clothes and material I had carried with me.

"Wow, that's quite an adventure for a slave girl," Sokka said from the front of the bison.

"Sokka!" Katara said. "He's not the kindest person," she added quietly to me. "But why does Zuko want Aang so desperately? He's nearly killed all of us several times."

"Do you know how Zuko got the scar on his face?" I asked.

Everyone shook their head no.

"When Zuko was thirteen, he insulted his father the Fire Lord and the entire Fire Nation after speaking out at a war meeting he was especially privileged to attend. An Agni Kai, or fire duel, was the only way to solve the matter, and Zuko thought himself more than ready to battle an old man. But when he entered the fighting arena, it was his father he had to battle." Katara gasped. "His scar is a sign of the dishonor and betrayal of him to his country and family. His father banished him for showing cowardice in the Agni Kai, when Zuko refused to fight him, as well as for his disrespect. Zuko's only chance of returning home to the throne and ending his exile are by bringing Aang back to his father."

Everyone was quiet, realizing the truth to the statement. It made me sad to think that Zuko was causing so much horror in the life of kids younger than him. At such a young age, Zuko was a threat to anyone and everyone who wasn't an ally. These were the people, well, kids we've been chasing around the world to capture and maybe kill?

Aang landed the bison, whose name I learned was Appa, near the front gates and the home I was living in. Nobody approved very much, but I promised I'd be out of the city by midnight. Katara helped me carry the prince into the home and laid him on the bed. While I searched for more blankets to cover him in, the girl stood above Zuko and stared at him.

"I've only ever gotten a good look at him once or twice, when we've squared off to fight," Katara said, absentmindedly.

"I'm sure the only one of you three he's memorized is Aang, of course," I replied while I started to take his shoes off to dry.

The girl looked hard at his sleeping face. "He looks, not so much angry, but lonely, or sad. I can't put my finger on it."

I smiled a bit. "I've thought the same thing sometimes. I think the only way Zuko knows how to express himself is through anger and violence."

Katara nodded, and began to think of other things. "You know, I bet if you hadn't of been taken away when you were little, we would have been good friends."

I looked directly at her. "You think?"

"Yeah, we both think in similar ways, and we're both waterbenders."

I sighed, "I wish I knew how to do more than just the wimpy stuff."

"I hope you can learn one day," she said sincerely. She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I think we definitely would have been friends."

"Is it too late?" I smiled and she smiled back, and we walked back out to Aang patiently waiting while Sokka complained about me and Katara.

"I can't thank you guys enough for saving us. You could have left me and my master to die; we probably would have. But your compassion and good nature is what is keeping us alive now. Thank you all," I said to the three enemies. "I wish that I didn't have to see you guys as the target. Maybe one day we can meet again, on good terms."

I shook Sokka's hand, staring into his grey eyes, and said, "You are a strong person, take care of Aang and your sister." He nodded, staring right back into my eyes.

"Aang, I am honored to meet you, but ashamed to be who I am. I can't keep Zuko from hunting you, but I will try to keep you safe as long as I can," I said with honesty as I bowed to the avatar.

I was surprised to see him bow slightly in return. "Sing, don't be ashamed of who you are. You can't always control who you become; I know a thing or two about that."

I smiled, knowing he understood more than anyone here. Then I turned to Katara, and she had a big smile on her face. We hugged each other, and she said to me, "Sing, you'll always be a great friend to me. It doesn't matter what Zuko does to any of us; his actions are not your fault, as much as we hate him."

"I'll miss you," I said to my friend. "Remember, where Zuko is, I'm in the shadows behind him, always."

"We'll all see you again," she said as they climbed up onto Appa's back. I waved and Aang and Katara waved in return, Sokka just looked back at me, still looking into my eyes. I turned sad, and walked back to my little house. Zuko was still sleeping, the color beginning to return to his beaten face. I sat on the end of the bed, and started to think how I could get out of the city with him, especially in his condition. I knew Uncle was outside with Admiral Zhao, poised for attack again on the city. There was no way I could get back on the pirates' ship. I had to figure something out, and quick, as it was already starting to get dark.


	12. Chapter 19: Siege of the North 3

I sat outside the house for the next hour, just looking at the waxing moon and thinking. Suddenly, an arrow zipped out of the sky from over the wall, and hit the side of the house. I suppressed a shriek, and looked around for more. When none came, I became confused, and walked towards the arrow, attached was a note. I grew excited, _It must be Uncle!_ I carefully unwrapped it, trying not to tear it. It read as follows:

Sing-

I am on my own vessel with only a few other soldiers, almost all from our own ship. I saw you flying on the bison today. As soon as you get this, you must move. Zuko left a boat to the East of the main gates, you must find it and row east until you find my ship. Come quickly.

-Uncle Iroh

I stuffed the note in my pocket, and raced inside the house. I anxiously tried to awaken Zuko; there was no way I could carry him the whole way back to the boat. He started to toss his head a little before his eyes fluttered open. "Where am I?" he asked, dazed.

"Zuko, we need to leave, now. Your Uncle is waiting outside the gates for us," I said as I shoved his shoes back on and offered him some bread. "I need you to walk with me to your boat. But right now I'm going to see what kind of security they have at the gates. You sit here and wake up a bit," I commanded, and ran outside. I sneaked my way up to the gates and peered up at the platform that held four guards. I cursed and ran back to the house. The wheels in my head were moving. "Zuko, how are you feeling?"

He stood up, wobbly. "I'm alright."

"We have to distract the guards, and you're going to do it," I said with fake confidence. "When we get close to the gates, bend a fire off to the side, as a distraction. They'll think it's an attack and rush to put it out or get more help. Can you do that?" I asked, looking at him for signs of strength.

He nodded, and started out the door without me. I took him the way I went, and he painfully shot the fire when the opportunity was perfect. My plan worked, and I pushed the smaller door for people, not ships, open and we escaped. But it wasn't over yet; in front of us laid a fleet of Fire Navy ships and somewhere, a band of pirates that could easily be mistake for uncle's ship.

Zuko stumbled while he tried to walk to his boat; I held his arm to support him. We finally arrived there, and I shoved off with Zuko laying at the front, exhausted. I rowed until my arms were rubber, then we drifted for a bit while I searched the sea for another boat. Suddenly, I saw one, but I wasn't confident it was friendly. When it got closer though, a Fire Nation flag wove proudly in the wind. I sighed with relief, and told Zuko who it was. He sighed as well, and laid his head back against the bow of the boat.

Three crewmen pulled us up onto the boat, and I took Zuko to the first quarters I found, and put him to bed. I walked outside, and closed the door quietly. I almost fell the first step I took, but a strong uncle caught me and hugged me tight. "Thank you for bringing my nephew back to me," he said, gratified.

"You're welcome, Uncle," was all I could say, for I was too exhausted to even stand anymore. Uncle made a guard carry me to another smaller bedroom and set me on the bed. I snuggled into the covers, and smiled at Uncle before I closed my heavy eyes and fell fast asleep.


End file.
